Here are the latest news updates from the AAMC. Among the highlighted stories:

The AAMC and Georgetown University have partnered to develop a Healthcare Executive Diversity and Inclusion Certificate Program. The aim of this program is to produce an active community of leaders who will deliver a healthcare system that provides quality, comprehensive care to all members of our communities. By the completion of the program, participants will master the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to lead diverse teams, advance health equity initiatives at their institutions, and implement a strategic approach to diversity and inclusion. The program is appropriate for leadership from all areas of the healthcare enterprise from deans, faculty, and staff to those charged with leading diversity initiatives. September 10th is the application deadline. During the pilot year of the program, participation will be capped at 25.

An article in the new issue of The Economist discussed the “radical shake-up” facing academic journals. A separate article on-line by The Economist discussed the on-line reaction to a paper published in Science in December 2010 concerning arsenates and microbes. The article discussed the critical reaction on-line and contends that the current peer review paradigm and journal policies limiting public dissemination of content before publication are unsustainable.

The Guardian newspaper recently reported on “The chemistry PhD: the impact on women’s retention, a report for the UK Resource Centre for Women in SET and the Royal Society of Chemistry.” The longitudinal study of PhD students in chemistry in the UK found that “young women scientists leave academia in far greater numbers than men for three reasons. During their time as PhD candidates, large numbers of women conclude that (i) the characteristics of academic careers are unappealing, (ii) the impediments they will encounter are disproportionate, and (iii) the sacrifices they will have to make are great.”

Here are the latest news updates from the AAMC. Among the highlighted stories:

At long last, the field of gene therapy appears close to reaching a milestone: a regulatory approval. The European Medicines Agency has recommended approval of Glybera, which treats lipoprotein lipase deficiency.http://tinyurl.com/7my8g38http://tinyurl.com/76pykv7

The Los Angeles Times on Thursday published an editorial opposing the proposed UC, Riverside medical school. The editorial said that “Fiscal uncertainty makes this the wrong time to embark on the ambitious new project.”http://tinyurl.com/7jkkpeo